Rita blinked her large blue eyes at the unexpected request.

“Yes, I understand.”

She would now officially paint a portrait of the very person she was already secretly drawing—attempting a n*de portrait, no less. It pricked her conscience, but at the same time, it felt like an opportunity.

If Crown Prince Gabriele officially posed as a model, she could observe how his expression, gaze, and the atmosphere from his posture harmonized with his body’s form.

‘Then I can complete an even more perfect n*de portrait.’

Before she knew it, Rita’s thoughts were more focused on the Crown Prince’s n*de than the official work.

“Gabriele, you heard, didn’t you? I’ll arrange the time and place, so starting tomorrow, make time to pose for the portrait.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Then practice hard, everyone, and Rita, draw those flowers well.”

After the Queen turned away, Rita’s eyes met Gabriele’s in the training ground below the steps. 

It was their first eye contact not as Crown Prince and court painter, but as people with business with each other. After a moment, Rita bowed her head toward him.

His gaze was truly intense—she wondered how she would capture it on canvas.

* * *

The next day.

Following the Queen’s orders, Rita obtained an empty room in the palace and transformed it into a space for painting the portrait. She hung portraits of previous royalty on the luxurious walls covered with silk wallpaper, and draped soft curtains on one side.

She judged that Crown Prince Gabriele’s delicate appearance would suit a painting style that emphasized softness rather than excessive contrast. With a desk covered in a continental map and white sable fur added, the preparations were complete.

Soon Gabriele arrived in uniform with his hair groomed. When he stood half-turned beside the desk, he harmonized perfectly with the pre-arranged background.

Rita sat before the easel and picked up charcoal with admiration. It was to sketch the underdrawing before formal brushwork.

“Then, Your Highness, I’ll begin work on the portrait.”

“Please do.”

“Could you turn your face a bit more this way? Your Highness has an excellent facial structure, so depicting you from the front would be advantageous.”

“What does having an excellent facial structure mean?”

“It means you’re handsome.”

Rita answered cheerfully and moved her charcoal swiftly. A subtle smile hung on her face as she looked at the canvas. Gabriele set aside what he was about to say and fixed his gaze.

He had thought the court painter he passed by was beautiful, but that expression was particularly attractive. 

Pride and passion for her profession, and the paradoxical freedom that came from immersion—seemingly becoming one with the charcoal in her hand—blended together. 

Her bright blue eyes relaxed slightly into a hazy look, and her dimpled mouth was soaked with a smile that seemed to feel true happiness.

Even while constantly comparing the subject with what was transferred to the canvas, Rita seemed so focused she didn’t notice he was staring intently at her face. 

Somehow that fact provoked Gabriele’s mischief. Whether it was simply because he was always the center of attention and accustomed to situations where others carefully watched him, or if there was another reason, wasn’t clear.

In any case, Gabriele felt an impulse to make Rita pay more attention to his ‘existence’ rather than just his appearance.

“You seem accustomed to drawing me.”

“…!”

Rita looked at him, startled enough to make her heart sink. Her relaxed eyes were now round and wide like a surprised rabbit.

“Th-that’s…”

“…”

Gabriele did know that Rita had been present during his sword sparring sessions. But that didn’t mean he knew she had been drawing him.

He had focused on his sparring, so he only briefly glimpsed Rita sitting there. So like Rita had answered Queen Cervone, he thought she was sitting there to observe flowers or the surrounding environment for her work.

But Rita, who had been caught off guard, interpreted it completely differently. It was something she could have just brushed off, but after agonizing intensely for a brief moment, she answered like this.

“Because I wanted to draw Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

“You wanted to draw me?”

It was an unexpected answer. When Gabriele raised his eyebrows in surprise, Rita, who had prepared an excuse in the meantime, made excuses.

“I’m a court painter employed by the royal family, and Your Highness the Crown Prince is a symbol of the royal family.”

“And so?”

“I thought that a court painter should naturally draw someone who is like a symbol of the royal family.”

Gabriele gestured for her to continue.

“Not only that, but Your Highness is beautiful.”

“If something is beautiful, must you draw it?”

“Of course!”

Rita’s eyes sparkled brightly once more.

“Artists are those who dedicate their entire lives to studying beauty. To such people, a beautiful person is nothing less than a hint sent from heaven to aid their research.”

“I see.”

Gabriele understood with his head but listened to Rita’s discourse on art without accepting it in his heart. He suddenly wanted to ask.

Then, Margarita. Has she ever drawn herself?

* * *

“Hmm.”

In the small attic on the top floor of Sardena Palace, the main building of the royal palace, was the painter’s room. Rita tilted her head with a groan before a large canvas the size requested by the princess.

“This isn’t it…”

She had learned how to draw the Crown Prince’s face through the official portrait. She had completely memorized the shape of his upper body by secretly sketching his sword training scenes.

“The problem is the lower body. And…”

And the pose and expression suitable for a n*de portrait. She could draw a n*de practicing swordsmanship, but that would make it difficult to fully express the delicate beauty coming from Gabriele’s face and body.

The upright posture from painting the official portrait was too unnatural and awkward to adopt for a n*de portrait. There were limits to drawing from imagination. Especially expressions.

Human expressions created by dozens of muscles were art showing each person’s unique individuality and characteristics, like fingerprints. 

Though Rita could imagine to some extent with her anatomical knowledge, it would be somewhat different from the actual expressions Gabriele made.

The same went for poses. What she imagined and put on canvas would inevitably differ from actually taking a specific pose. Moreover, what pose would best reveal Gabriele’s charm was a completely unknown territory that couldn’t be known through imagination alone.

In Rita’s case, as a court painter accustomed to drawing with models before her, this task was all the more difficult.

“Phew…”

Of course, she could complete the painting by imagining adequately. That would be better in that she wouldn’t have to keep work that could get her punished for disrespect if discovered.

But Princess Medina was a patron of the arts who had developed the Gares Kingdom from an artistic wasteland into a cultural renaissance site. Her eyes, which saw works by all kinds of painters with the highest skills daily, would naturally be elevated to world-class level.

If there was even the slightest awkwardness, she would surely notice immediately. If she was even slightly dissatisfied with the work…

She didn’t even want to imagine the result. Eventually, she sighed and reached a conclusion.

‘I need more observation.’

Even if she equally drew some parts from imagination, it would definitely be easier to draw the n*de of someone close. Because she would naturally become familiar with that person’s atmosphere and physique.

Therefore, Rita felt the need to get closer to Crown Prince Gabriele. Whether that was physical distance or psychological distance.

* * *

Time passed and the time to paint the portrait came again.

Gabriele wore the same clothes as before, took the same pose in the same place. However, Rita’s attitude had clearly changed from before.

“Your Highness. Did you practice swordsmanship today as well?”

“I did.”

She, who had clung only to the canvas seemingly ignoring Gabriele, now looked only at him with her eyes wide open. 

She took him in with her eyes, determined to capture something from within him to melt onto the canvas, to seize anything. His two eyes, the lines of his nose bridge and lips, the tip of his chin. 

Even the sense of mass of the parts forming his body.

Perhaps feeling the excessive gaze, Gabriele stiffened slightly. Only then did Rita come to her senses and adjusted her attitude to be a bit more plain.

“You’re quite skilled with the sword. Have you been learning since childhood?”

“That’s right. I’ve been swinging a wooden sword since I learned to walk.”

“That’s truly impressive. I heard Your Highness also shows excellence in statecraft and liberal arts studies, but it’s not easy to master both civil and military arts.”

“It’s something I must do for the kingdom.”

Gabriele, who at first avoided her gaze, perhaps surprised by Rita’s sudden attitude, now continued the conversation with his violet eyes full of intelligence and charm. Rita suddenly realized she had never talked so familiarly with the Crown Prince before.

‘He’s an even better person than I thought.’

He was gentle and mild, and always maintained courtesy even toward her, who was of low status. He had solid plans for how to utilize his privileges as Crown Prince.

Rita, who had been excitedly continuing the questions and answers while painting with one hand, suddenly closed her mouth in gloom.

‘What am I doing to such a good person?’

If he knew she was thinking of reflecting even the personality that came through in trivial conversation in the n*de portrait, what would the Crown Prince think? 

He wouldn’t stop at questioning her for disrespecting the royal family and insolence, but would naturally despise her personally as well.

‘I don’t want that, but…’

It couldn’t be helped. Refusing the task would be a great loss to the country, and doing it carelessly and failing to satisfy the princess would be the same.

In the end, she alone had to become the bad person. To reach the set goal, she couldn’t be choosy about means and methods. Not only her morality, but if necessary, even if her reputation or safety was damaged.

She had obtained much information from observing while painting the portrait, but it was still insufficient. Rita and Gabriele still lacked familiarity, so his expression was gentle but couldn’t escape formality.

A formal n*de portrait—wasn’t that terrible just to imagine? So she absolutely had to obtain a more natural expression.

* * *

The Crown Prince’s schedule was divided into two types.

The official schedule is posted on the palace bulletin board. And the unofficial schedule is not publicly announced anywhere.

The official schedule included banquets, events, and meetings held by the royal family. The unofficial schedule included small-scale banquets or salons privately held by nobles, or sword practice with the Captain of the Guard.

At dawn, Rita woke early, groomed herself, and went to the bulletin board. 

Today, Gabriele’s official schedule was the daily government meeting, attending a concert hosted by the Queen, and going outside the palace to bless the citizens’ ceremony praying for a good harvest.

‘Hmm.’

Of course, following the official schedule would let her see various aspects, but this way she would obviously only face a stiff expression more than the time spent painting the portrait. Soon Rita reached a conclusion.

‘What I need is the unofficial schedule.’

But the unofficial schedule was literally unofficial. It was material with no reason to be disclosed to anyone other than those involved in the schedule.

It wasn’t a huge secret, but it wasn’t easy for a mere court painter to get her hands on either.

‘What should I do?’

Rita was pacing the corridor lost in thought. From far away, a girl walked toward her. She appeared three or four years younger than Rita.

The moment she recognized the girl’s face, Rita clapped her hands. It seemed like a halo shone behind the girl, who was merely a palace maid. Thanks to the fact that the girl, Bianca, was Gabriele’s exclusive attendant maid.

“Bianca!”

When Rita ran over in one breath and grasped both her hands, Bianca’s eyes widened.

“Sister Rita? What brings you here at this dawn?”

“I have a favor to ask. Can you do it?”

“What is it?”